Contents of this issue:
- Superintendent: Cap health care payments
- Anti-millage signs removed, replaced
- More students in meals programs
- Candy giveaway part of larger plan
- Two recalls in Romeo
SUPERINTENDENT: CAP HEALTH CARE PAYMENTS
LANSING, Mich. - Rather than placing all public
employees in a single health care pool, a west Michigan school superintendent
says the state should save money by capping government payments to health care
plans or requiring employees to pay a percentage of the premium, according to a
report in The Grand Rapids Press.
Testifying before a committee of the state House of
Representatives, Rockford Public Schools Superintendent Michael Shibler said
that under his plan, legislators would set the percentage required of
employees, but not choose the actual plan, The Press reported.
Teachers and other workers could still bargain for the
health plan of their choice, but would have to pay more out of pocket for more
costly plans.
Alternatively, Shibler testified, the state could cap
the amount schools or other public entities are required to pay for health
plans and require employees to pay the remainder, according to The Press. The
caps and percentages could be adjusted for inflation each year.
Shibler said his plan would not require the state to
set up its own public employee health pool, an idea proposed by House Speaker
Andy Dillon earlier this year, which Dillon said could save up to $900 million.
Some public school districts already have negotiated
contracts requiring teachers to pay part of their health insurance premium.
Grand Rapids Public Schools teachers now pay $900 annually, The Press reported.
SOURCE:
The Grand Rapids Press, "Rockford
Superintendent pushes alternative to Speaker Dillon's plan to pool insurance
for state employees," Oct. 29, 2009
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Report, "Splitting the health insurance bill,"
Aug. 19, 2009
ANTI-MILLAGE SIGNS REMOVED, REPLACED
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - An Ann Arbor "community
standards officer" took down anti-school millage signs in front of a
township residence, only to learn that he was outside his jurisdiction,
according to a report in AnnArbor.com.
Scio Township resident John Boyle told AnnArbor.com
that he placed four signs in his front yard urging residents to vote
"no" on a Washtenaw County school millage request. When an Ann Arbor
city enforcement officer tried to confiscate the signs, Boyle informed him that
he was not within city limits, the report said.
"It was just utterly astounding," Boyle told
AnnArbor.com. "The officer said, 'You're violating community standards.'
And I said, 'Whose standards?' And he said, 'The city of Ann Arbor.'"
Boyle said that when he retrieved his signs from the
officer's truck, he saw the officer had confiscated a number of other
anti-millage signs, but no signs supporting the millage.
City Administrator Roger Fraser said he has personally
apologized to Boyle for the incident, AnnArbor.com reported, and called it a
case of human error which was not politically motivated. He said sign removal
is generally based on right-of- way restrictions.
The Washtenaw Intermediate School District is asking
voters to approve a new 2-mill tax today that would raise about $30 million
annually for school districts countywide.
SOURCE:
AnnArbor.com, "Scio
Township resident claims city officer overstepped bounds by removing anti-school millage signs," Oct. 20,
2009
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "A Michigan School Money Primer: Local Property Taxes by Type,"
May 30, 2007
MORE STUDENTS IN MEALS PROGRAMS
MUSKEGON, Mich. - More students have signed up for
reduced-cost meals in Muskegon-area public schools, likely reflecting parental
unemployment but also because students don't know any more who among them gets
free lunch, food directors told The Muskegon Chronicle.
Compared to a year ago, the number of Muskegon Heights
Public Schools students receiving meal subsidies rose by 13 percentage points
as of September, The Chronicle reported. Oakridge Public Schools and Muskegon
Public Schools reported increases of 11 and 9 percent, respectively.
"It's alarming for us," Mary Darnton, food
service director for Grand Haven Area Public Schools, told The Chronicle.
"It's a 25 percent jump over last year."
Schools today use computerized debit systems to track
lunch payments, so there is no visible way to tell if a student is drawing off
money put into a lunch account by their parents or if their meal is subsidized
by the federal government, The Chronicle reported.
"Before debit cards, some kids would have cash,
others were on a check-off list. If you were in line, you would kind of
know," Dan Gorman, director of food service at Montague
Public Schools, told The Chronicle.
School districts encourage eligible students to apply
for free or reduced-price meals because various grants and supplemental
government funding are based on those numbers, The Chronicle reported. North
Muskegon Public Schools waives pay-to-play fees for student-athletes who are
eligible for meal subsidies.
SOURCE:
The Muskegon Chronicle, "Schools
seeing rise in free and reduced-price lunches," Oct. 29, 2009
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Stimulus pays for lunch equipment,"
July 25, 2009
CANDY GIVEAWAY PART OF LARGER PLAN
PONTIAC, Mich. - Pontiac School District teachers were
to hand out Halloween candy in front of district schools Saturday as part of a
larger effort to entice parents and students back to the district, The Oakland
Press reported.
Pontiac Education Association President Lance Davis
said the plan called for costumed teachers to pass out the sweets at five
schools.
"Teachers are doing it to strengthen bonds with
the community," Davis told The Press.
Half of Pontiac's elementary schools were closed as
part of a restructuring plan this year, The Press reported. Some students who
live in the district now attend public charter schools or schools in other
districts.
"We are trying to convince parents to give us
another chance," Davis told The Press, pointing to new efforts by the
district to develop themed schools, an International Baccalaureate program and
early college enrollment.
SOURCE:
The Oakland Press, "Teachers
will pass out Halloween candy," Oct. 30, 2009
FURTHER READING:
Michigan Education Digest, "Pontiac school plan ends up in
court," May 26, 2009
TWO RECALLS IN ROMEO
ROMEO, Mich. - Five of seven Romeo Community Schools
board members have been named in two separate recall efforts, with a school
closing and privatization as key issues, The Romeo Observer reported. One set
of recall petitions names the board's treasurer, vice president and secretary,
while the other names two board trustees.
The petitions to recall the two trustees cite their
votes in favor of closing an elementary school and hiring the "most
costly" auditor, and their votes against "transparency" issues,
The Observer reported. Petitions to recall the officers cite their votes for
privatizing custodial services, staff layoffs and the school closing.
David Peterson-Tousignant, who filed the petitions
against trustees Sue Hier and Sara Murray, told The Observer that he is
frustrated that the trustees have left board meetings early or refused to vote.
Vice President Michael Stobak said at a recent meeting
that the petition language misrepresents the truth, except for information on
spending $25,000 for a superintendent search and information on employee
layoffs, according to The Observer.
Secretary Jennifer White said she believes the recalls
only hamper board dialogue, The Observer reported.
"We are in such a budget situation that it calls
for us to discuss everything . . . and we shouldn't put a muzzle on board
members and threatening them with recalls for discussing these items," she
said, The Observer reported.
SOURCE:
The Romeo Observer, "2 recall efforts
target five on school board," Oct. 28, 2009
FURTHER READING:
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, "School Privatization Survey Shows Gains in Support Service
Contracting," Sept. 7, 2009
MICHIGAN EDUCATION DIGEST is a service of Michigan Education Report (
http://www.educationreport.org), an online newspaper published by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy (
http://www.mackinac.org), a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute.
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